Trent Richardson says greedy friends and family affected his career

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 6, 2016, 5:45 AM EDT

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Trent Richardson got a $20.5 million guaranteed contract as the third overall pick of the Browns in the 2012 NFL draft. A lot of that money went to greedy friends and family who Richardson now says were partially responsible for his career going bust.

Richardson said on ESPN’s E:60 that people were so demanding of his money that he would be thinking about it during games, looking up in the box where he’d paid for 40 people to attend the game and thinking about how much money that cost him.

“I’m thinking about this stuff in the game. I’m actually looking up at the box making sure everybody is in there,” Richardson said.

Richardson said that in one 10-month span, friends, family and various hangers-on went through $1.6 million of his money.

“You’d get calls, ‘My car’s going to get repo’d,'” he said. “So you’d give $10,000 this week away. Then someone calls and says ‘I’m going to get evicted.’ Another $10,000 goes out. It adds up.”

The Browns traded Richardson away after a year, and one of the reasons the Browns grew tired of him is that they told him to “Make your circle smaller,” and Richardson didn’t do it.

It was particularly painful to Richardson that when he was traded during his second season, the friends and family who had been living with him in Cleveland all decided that they would move with him to Indianapolis — but none of them would lift a finger to help him pack up his house and move.

“I had to pay people to pack up my house,” he said. “Why I got to pack my house? You all can’t do this? They were saying, ‘He’s got the money, he can just pay to do it.'”

Now Richardson finally has made his circle smaller, including firing his brother from his $100,000 a year personal assistant job. He says he’s not broke, but his life now is “humbling.” After the Browns, Colts, Raiders and Ravens have all sent Richardson packing, there’s a good chance that his NFL career is over. Which means the gravy train is finally over for those greedy friends and family.

Sad to see. Didn’t they teach him about all of this at the rookie symposium? Guess he should have been paying better attention and listened. Happened to many times before him and won’t be the last. Can’t blame nobody but himself.

Unfortunately this happens constantly and most 21 year olds with no fiscal responsibility haven’t learned how to say the word “NO” to the leaches around them however let’s not blame others for being a major draft bust either.

Yes, Trent is a bust… Yet in his 21-24 year old mind, which had sudden gift, vigor and fame, has left him high and dry from trying to please everyone. Now that the sun has settled on his career, us fans will remember him as a tainted and forever bust… RIP Trent

He needs to read Dr. Henry Cloud’s book “Boundaries” and learn how to say “No”. It’s not hard. Or complicated.

These young men have no idea how to deal with that kind of money. Most people wouldn’t but especially not men in their early 20’s. Heck, the pre-frontal cortex of the brain isn’t even fully developed until age 25.

Couldn’t the NFL with all their money hire some sort of mentors that were over 5 players each or something.

I don’t doubt he was taken advantage of, but he’s the real reason for being a bust. Possibly over hyped in the draft, Jim Brown pegged him well initially with the evaluation of “ordinary”. In action, he never produced the results any team wanted and needed. I hope those that benefited from his money take care of him when he needs it, but my bet is “Naw, that ain’t happenin'”.

Honestly that’s on him, how many various rookie symposiums are there with former athletes telling their horrid money stories. I don’t feel one bit of sorrow for him. No one learns a lesson if they keep getting bailed out financially. Tell your friends and family to get to work then if the price theyre worth the investment make it. But, this is on him in my eyes.

I have to laugh because other athletes with successful pro careers endure family/friends taking advantage of them for far longer then Richardson has. That second contract leads to even more demands.
A good thing Richardson learned this before his bank account reached empty. Now he can put that Alabama degree to work, lol.

Sounds like a really good person. Tried to help others who took advantage of a kind hearted 21 year old. His talents may not of transferred to the NFL but he’s got a long life ahead of him to have a positive impact. Good luck Trent!

Helping family out is one thing. Extended family and a posse is quite another. With that kind of money I would have paid off my parents’ house and bills, helped out my sister and maintained a modest lifestyle and still be set for life. My kids would have had whatever they needed but there is a major difference between a want and a need.

How many times has this story been told? 5000 if its been told once. The worst thing about never having money before is the inexperience in how to manage it or the vultures who come after it.

These players make more money in their 20’s than they will for the rest of their lives combined. Think about that. For the rest of us, our 20’s are our brokest period – the point in our lives where we struggled the most. Trying to find a job that paid a decent wage to support ourselves. Athletes are given hundreds of thousands to millions between 20 and 30 and that has to last the rest of their lives. For most it is impossible.

For him, at least he has some money left. Maybe he can go to a Rookie Symposium in a year or two to warn others of siblings, cousins, so-called friends, and even parents wanting to mooch off of you rather than pay their own way in life need to go by the wayside. Will you get talked about? Yes. Will they call you names? Yes. But when your 30’s roll around you will have that cushion, and if you are lucky into your 40’s and beyond.

I don’t feel bad for him. Doesn’t the NFL have an orientation class for rookies educating them about managing their money featuring personal stories from players who fell in the same trap? I guess he didn’t pay attention. It’s similar to those people who win the lottery but are broke 5 years later.

Why do they give big money for unproven players. Earn it first then get paid what a novel idea. They always want more but never give it back when they stink. Holmgren should be charged with theft for the job he did in Cleveland,

This poor man child. He didn’t know that by giving away his banking account pin numbers to strangers they would actually use them!! We should all take up a collection for him so he can do it again. You can’t fix stupid and he certainly is!

I disagree. The facts that he is not an NFL caliber running back, affected his career. He had ample opportunities with multiple teams. When the lowly Browns cut him, it was over.
And obviously, he wasn’t smart with his money. Every NFL player should have a CPA/certified financial planner to help them with the bug bucks.

If a car is about to be repossesed, there have been quite a few payments missed. If I was Trent I would be tempted to name each and every one of the leeches to put them on blast. Admittedly, that wouldn’t be the classy thing to do…..but it sure would be tempting. lol

This is why Snoop Dog has vending machines in his house. So all of the “friends” who hang out there all day day after day have to pay their own way. If he let the classless slobs who wouldn’t help him pack move in with him, that is on him though. No way I’d let them move in, I don’t care who they are.

i didn’t see the interview, but where in the quotes does he blame others for his poor performance? maybe the headline and first paragraph, which are the writer’s interpretation of his words, aren’t what he was really trying to get across?

Shameful but true – those types of people are usually the sames ones that ONLY show up at Christmas & at funerals – NOT to visit family & NOT to pay respects,
but only to see what gifts THEY might receive.
Every family deals with these social parasites,
EXACTLY like the ones hangin on to Trent.

I remember how startled everyone was when the Browns traded him. His family must have been an irritation to the franchise. When team officials tell you to “make your circle smaller,” there are boundaries issues.

Getting rid of family and friends who been with you from the start gotta be tough…..but at some point he should have set some boundaries, like you don’t live here unless you have a job for one…and its about time he takes responsibility for his poor play, it will help in you moving on to your next career…..

I’ll never understand why kids from the hood always feel the need to take care of Ray-Ray Pookie n dem… all the homies who don’t even give a crap about them. Anyone remember the Biz Markie song ‘The Vapors”? Nuff said.